‘1001 inventions and the Library of Secrets’ is a film that has been produced as part of the 1001 inventions project led by Professor Salim Al-Hassani and supported by many Muslim scientists and researchers. This short film has just won the prestigious ‘Best Film’ award at the New York Festivals International Television and Film Awards held on 3rd May 2010.

The film stars Ben Kingsley and describes the scientific heritage of Muslim civilisation. It has been supported by the Abdul Lateef Jameel Foundation. The ‘1001 inventions’ project emerged as a way of counterbalancing the view of history that suggested that Muslims contributed little to the development of civilisation. The book by the same name has become a bestseller and an exhibition on the same topic is currently running at the Science Museum where it has attracted 100,000 visitors in the first few weeks.

On the film awards, Prof. Salim Al-Hassani, Executive Producer said: “It’s truly humbling to see that our efforts have been recognized in such spectacular fashion by a long-established and internationally respected festival. I hope that these awards help raise awareness of the work we’re doing within the 1001 Inventions initiative. Our aim is to increase cross-cultural understanding and help people discover a history and culture that we all share, but is still under-appreciated.”

The film 1001 Inventions and The Library of Secrets can be seen as part of the 1001 Inventions exhibition at London’s Science Museum, and can also be viewed for free at the official website www.1001inventions.com/Libraryofsecrets. The exhibition is open to visitors, seven days a week, and runs from the 21st January to 30th June 2010 after which it embarks on a five-year tour of major world cities in Asia, Europe and the Americas.